Vanushi Walters (39) became the first Sri Lankan born Member of New Zealand’s Parliament after winning the race to be Upper Harbour MP in northwest Auckland.
She claimed a narrow victory over National candidate Jake Bezzant, a former tech company chief executive and cricketer for Hamilton, receiving 14,142 votes to Bezzant’s 12,727.
Walters is a Sri Lankan New Zealander who is married with three sons. Before entering Parliament, Walters worked as a human rights lawyer and as a senior manager at the Human Rights Commission.
Vanushi had moved to New Zealand from Sri Lanka when she was just five years of age. (NewsWire)